![]() ![]() In the summer, inland temperatures can soar above 100 ☏ (38 ☌). As the coastline is oriented from northwest to southeast, the marine layer and any clouds present within it would be confined to the coast and adjacent offshore waters, and often are, but for the large difference in temperature between the coastal waters and the inland valleys, especially the Central Valley. The prevailing wind along the California coast is from the northwest owing to the normal location of the North Pacific High, a large area of high atmospheric pressure. Land-sea temperature gradient įog enters San Francisco Bay through the Golden Gate, seen here in August 2012 These nuclei are so effective that condensation can occur even before the relative humidity reaches 100%. Condensation nuclei in coastal fog are mostly composed of salt from surf and spray, with lesser amounts of iodine from kelp. When the marine layer encounters the colder waters along the California coast, it cools to its dewpoint, and if small particles called condensation nuclei are present, liquid water drops will form. Sea surface temperatures along the coast are generally 52–58 ☏ (11–14 ☌) year-round. Additional cooling occurs due to strong upwelling of cooler subsurface waters, especially along the immediate coastline and near various promontories. This water vapor contributes to the development of what is called a marine layer near the surface of the ocean.Īlong the California coast, the prevailing current flows from the northwest and is cool owing to its origin in the North Pacific. Moisture evaporated from the ocean surface over hundreds, even thousands of miles of the open Pacific is carried to California from various directions. It is also the major source of nuclei for the condensation of moisture from vapor into cloud droplets. The Pacific Ocean contributes to the frequency of fog by providing atmospheric moisture and by its temperature. ![]()
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